The present invention relates to a feature provided by a navigation system or other device whereby additional information about roadside signs can be provided to a driver of a vehicle while traveling along a road.
Navigation systems are available that provide end users (such as drivers and passengers of the vehicles in which the navigation systems are installed) with various navigation-related functions and features. For example, some navigation systems are able to determine an optimum route to travel by roads between locations in a geographic region. Using input from the end user, and optionally from equipment that can determine one""s physical location (such as a GPS system), a navigation system can examine various potential routes between two locations to determine an optimum route to travel from a starting location to a destination location in a geographic region. The navigation system may then provide the end user with information about the optimum route in the form of guidance that identifies the driving maneuvers required to be taken by the end user to travel from the starting location to the destination location. The guidance may take the form of visual and/or audio instructions that are provided along the way as the end user is traveling the route. Some navigation systems are able to show detailed maps on computer displays outlining routes to destinations, the types of maneuvers to be take:n at various locations along the routes, locations of certain types of features, and so on.
In order to provide these and other navigating functions, navigation systems use geographic data. The geographic data may be in the form of one or more databases that include data that represent physical features in a geographic region. The geographic database may include data representing the roads and intersections in a geographic region and also may include information relating to the represented roads and intersections in the geographic region, such as turn restrictions at intersections, speed limits along the roads, street names of the various roads, address ranges along the roads, and so on.
Although navigation systems provide many important features, there continues to be room for new features and improvements. One area in which there is room for improvement relates to providing assistance with respect to roadside signs. Regardless of whether a vehicle driver is receiving route guidance from a navigation system, the vehicle driver should be paying attention to roadside signs and other traffic-related conditions outside the vehicle. Occasionally, a vehicle driver may desire more information about a sign that he/she has observed while driving. There are various reasons why this may occur. One reason is that the vehicle driver""s view of the sign may be obstructed, e.g., by another vehicle such as a truck. Another reason is that the vehicle driver may not be fluent in the language of the text of the roadside sign. Still another reason is that the vehicle driver is interested in the subject matter to which the sign relates and desires more information. Another reason may be that the driver is drowsy or distracted. Yet another reason may be that the driver is unfamiliar with a symbol on the sign.
Accordingly, there is a need for a feature in a navigation system that provides additional information about roadside signs.
To address these and other objectives, the present invention comprises a feature provided by a navigation system or other device whereby additional information about roadside signs can be provided to a driver of a vehicle while traveling along a road. The additional information may be provided automatically or in response to a request from the driver. The additional information may include a translation of the sign text into a selected language, supplementary information about the subject matter of the sign, commercial information about the subject matter of the sign, or other kinds of information. In one embodiment, the additional information is contained in a database that includes data identifying locations of roadside signs and additional information about the roadside signs. Programming in the navigation system or other device determines the location of the vehicle, uses the database to identify one or more roadside signs close to the location of the vehicle, and provides the driver with the additional information about the one or more roadside signs via a user interface.